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Worcester pubs leading the way in legally screened football matches

THE licensee of a Worcester pub says you won't find city boozers being caught offside by showing football matches illegally.

Amy James, in charge of The Pheasant in New Street, says her venue is an established pub to watch sports through legitimate channels.

But she says lots of city watering holes used to broadcast games illegally using foreign satellites, adding she believes this practice has now ended.

This week the Premier League said it will prosecute pubs showing live football which isn't transmitted through its approved broadcasters Sky Sports and BT Sport.

"There were a lot of pubs in Worcester that did it a while back, but I don't know of any now," said the licensee.

"I can understand why people would want to do it but it's not worth it."

TV subscriptions cost The Pheasant almost £1,000 each month to show live Premier League football matches through the legitimate Sky Sports and BT Sport packages.

"People still come to watch the football and we're quite an established rugby pub, too," she added.

"The sport can give them an excuse to come to the pub, even if games are on terrestrial channels."

Dan Johnson, the Premier League's director of communications, told the BBC that BT Sport and Sky Sports invest huge amounts of money in the Premier League which is then used by clubs to develop and acquire players.

"Anything that damages the ability of broadcasters to invest in that has the potential to damage the ability of the clubs to invest in that," he said.

"We want to help pubs, we want to help educate licensees, and when we go in and find use of foreign satellite systems we'll give them the opportunity to get rid of that system."

Mr Johnson said the Premier League expects to bring up to 100 prosecutions this season across Wales and England.

Comments

Jabbadad
11:23am Tue 28 Jan 14

I have NO sympathy with the Premier Leagues statement saying they need the money for them to carry on their good work of investment. DO THEY MEAN making many millions available to pay indecent ammounts to the footballing Madonnas.
And to read how one pub thinks that £1,000 per month is okay means that they are unusually making quite reasonable profits. Lot's of other pubs would like to be in that position.

I have NO sympathy with the Premier Leagues statement saying they need the money for them to carry on their good work of investment. DO THEY MEAN making many millions available to pay indecent ammounts to the footballing Madonnas.
And to read how one pub thinks that £1,000 per month is okay means that they are unusually making quite reasonable profits. Lot's of other pubs would like to be in that position.Jabbadad

I have NO sympathy with the Premier Leagues statement saying they need the money for them to carry on their good work of investment. DO THEY MEAN making many millions available to pay indecent ammounts to the footballing Madonnas.
And to read how one pub thinks that £1,000 per month is okay means that they are unusually making quite reasonable profits. Lot's of other pubs would like to be in that position.

Score: -3

19joshua87
1:39pm Tue 28 Jan 14

Jabbadad - It sucks, but that's capitalism for you.

Jabbadad - It sucks, but that's capitalism for you.19joshua87

Jabbadad - It sucks, but that's capitalism for you.

Score: -2

brooksider
3:07pm Tue 28 Jan 14

Jabbadad wrote…

I have NO sympathy with the Premier Leagues statement saying they need the money for them to carry on their good work of investment. DO THEY MEAN making many millions available to pay indecent ammounts to the footballing Madonnas.
And to read how one pub thinks that £1,000 per month is okay means that they are unusually making quite reasonable profits. Lot's of other pubs would like to be in that position.

Madonnas or Prima Donnas?

[quote][p][bold]Jabbadad[/bold] wrote:
I have NO sympathy with the Premier Leagues statement saying they need the money for them to carry on their good work of investment. DO THEY MEAN making many millions available to pay indecent ammounts to the footballing Madonnas.
And to read how one pub thinks that £1,000 per month is okay means that they are unusually making quite reasonable profits. Lot's of other pubs would like to be in that position.[/p][/quote]Madonnas or Prima Donnas?brooksider

Jabbadad wrote…

I have NO sympathy with the Premier Leagues statement saying they need the money for them to carry on their good work of investment. DO THEY MEAN making many millions available to pay indecent ammounts to the footballing Madonnas.
And to read how one pub thinks that £1,000 per month is okay means that they are unusually making quite reasonable profits. Lot's of other pubs would like to be in that position.

Madonnas or Prima Donnas?

Score: -3

Realistblue
3:36pm Tue 28 Jan 14

i was under the impression that landlords/ladys were winning the cases Sky/premier league brought against them for streamed or satelitte broadcasting ?!

Can't blame landords for doing it, its hard running a pub nowadays, and the need to offer something someone else hasn't got could be a big factor in it staying open

i was under the impression that landlords/ladys were winning the cases Sky/premier league brought against them for streamed or satelitte broadcasting ?!
Can't blame landords for doing it, its hard running a pub nowadays, and the need to offer something someone else hasn't got could be a big factor in it staying openRealistblue

i was under the impression that landlords/ladys were winning the cases Sky/premier league brought against them for streamed or satelitte broadcasting ?!

Can't blame landords for doing it, its hard running a pub nowadays, and the need to offer something someone else hasn't got could be a big factor in it staying open

Score: -2

Small Town
9:24pm Tue 28 Jan 14

I'm not sure if HOUSE in Worcester (Chapel Walk) is still trading or not, but certainly the last time I walked past there on a Saturday afternoon they were showing a Chelsea premier league game via a foreign channel.

I'm not sure if HOUSE in Worcester (Chapel Walk) is still trading or not, but certainly the last time I walked past there on a Saturday afternoon they were showing a Chelsea premier league game via a foreign channel.Small Town

I'm not sure if HOUSE in Worcester (Chapel Walk) is still trading or not, but certainly the last time I walked past there on a Saturday afternoon they were showing a Chelsea premier league game via a foreign channel.

Score: -2

Raniator
3:26pm Wed 29 Jan 14

There used to be a lot of Worcester city centre pubs that had Sky Sports etc, but the fees are just too high nowadays.

Clearly The Pheasant is a popular live sport venue and the outlay is worth it for them, while smaller venues just haven't got the facilities or the capacity to make the most of it.

I personally prefer the atmosphere of watching a football or rugby match in a pub, I'm sure I'm not alone, and I'm also all for supporting independent businesses like The Pheasant who are committed to following the rules and doing things properly.

There used to be a lot of Worcester city centre pubs that had Sky Sports etc, but the fees are just too high nowadays.
Clearly The Pheasant is a popular live sport venue and the outlay is worth it for them, while smaller venues just haven't got the facilities or the capacity to make the most of it.
I personally prefer the atmosphere of watching a football or rugby match in a pub, I'm sure I'm not alone, and I'm also all for supporting independent businesses like The Pheasant who are committed to following the rules and doing things properly.Raniator

There used to be a lot of Worcester city centre pubs that had Sky Sports etc, but the fees are just too high nowadays.

Clearly The Pheasant is a popular live sport venue and the outlay is worth it for them, while smaller venues just haven't got the facilities or the capacity to make the most of it.

I personally prefer the atmosphere of watching a football or rugby match in a pub, I'm sure I'm not alone, and I'm also all for supporting independent businesses like The Pheasant who are committed to following the rules and doing things properly.

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